AP U.S. History: Key Events, People, and Concepts (Exam 1)

Sistema de Castas

A social hierarchy in Spanish America based on race and birthplace, used to maintain control over colonized populations.

Olmec Civilization

The earliest known Mesoamerican civilization (c. 1200-400 BCE), known for colossal head statues and cultural influence on later civilizations.

Crusades

Series of religious wars (11th-13th centuries) that increased European contact with Asia and the Middle East, sparking trade and exploration.

Encomienda System

Spanish labor system granting colonists control over Indigenous labor in exchange for protection and conversion to Christianity.

Treaty of Tordesillas

1494 agreement dividing the New World between Spain and Portugal, mediated by the Pope.

Hernan Cortes

Spanish conquistador who led the expedition that conquered the Aztec Empire in 1521.

New Netherland

Dutch colony in North America (modern New York), taken by the English in 1664.

New England Colonies

English colonies in present-day northeast U.S., founded for religious freedom and known for town meetings and Puritan influence.

African Slave Trade

Forced transport of enslaved Africans to the Americas, central to the Atlantic economy.

Bacon's Rebellion

1676 Virginia uprising led by Nathaniel Bacon against Governor Berkeley; revealed tensions between frontier settlers and colonial elites.

First Great Awakening

Religious revival movement (1730s-40s) emphasizing personal faith and emotional preaching, weakening established churches.

Pontiac's Rebellion

1763 Native American uprising against British forts in the Great Lakes region, following the French and Indian War.

Stamp Act 1765

British tax on printed materials in the colonies; sparked protests and the slogan 'No taxation without representation.'

Sons of Liberty

Colonial resistance group that organized protests against British taxes, sometimes violently.

Boston Massacre 1770

Confrontation in Boston where British soldiers killed 5 colonists, fueling anti-British sentiment.

Second Continental Congress

Meeting of colonial delegates (1775-1781) that managed the war effort and adopted the Declaration of Independence.

Bernardo Galvez

Spanish governor of Louisiana who supported American independence by aiding colonial forces.

George Washington

Commander of the Continental Army and first President of the United States.

Common Sense

1776 pamphlet by Thomas Paine urging colonists to declare independence from Britain.

Aztec Civilization

Mesoamerican empire in central Mexico, conquered by Hernán Cortés in 1521.

Clovis and Folsom Peoples

Early Native American cultures known for distinct stone tools; among the first inhabitants of North America.

Mississippian Chiefdoms

Complex Native societies in the Mississippi Valley, known for mound building and large trade networks.

Black Legend

Idea that Spanish conquerors only brought death, slavery, and disease to the New World, emphasizing Spanish cruelty.

Jamestown

First permanent English settlement in North America (1607), struggled with disease and famine before tobacco saved it.

Francisco Pizarro

Spanish conquistador who conquered the Inca Empire in Peru in the 1530s.

Sea Dogges

English privateers sanctioned by Queen Elizabeth I to raid Spanish ships and colonies.

Puritans

English religious dissenters who settled Massachusetts Bay Colony, seeking to create a 'city upon a hill.'

Triangular Trade/Columbian Exchange

Exchange of goods, people, and ideas between Europe, Africa, and the Americas; included slavery and diseases.

Pueblo Revolt

1680 Native uprising in New Mexico that temporarily drove Spanish settlers out of the region.

William Pitt's Plan

British strategy during the Seven Years' War to increase funding and resources in North America, leading to victory.

Proclamation of 1763

British law forbidding colonists from settling west of the Appalachian Mountains after Pontiac's Rebellion.

Sugar Act 1764

Tax on molasses and sugar imported into the colonies; angered merchants and smugglers.

Declaratory Act

1766 law asserting Britain's right to legislate for the colonies 'in all cases whatsoever.'

Boston Tea Party

1773 protest where colonists dumped British tea into Boston Harbor against the Tea Act.

Declaration of Independence

1776 document written primarily by Thomas Jefferson, declaring independence from Britain.

Yorktown

1781 battle in which British General Cornwallis surrendered, effectively ending the Revolutionary War.

Treaty of Paris 1783

Treaty ending the Revolutionary War, recognizing U.S. independence and territorial rights.

Lord Dunmore's Proclamation

1775 declaration promising freedom to enslaved people who joined the British side.

Henry the Navigator

Portuguese prince who promoted navigation and exploration, sponsoring early voyages along Africa.

Reconquista

Christian reconquest of the Iberian Peninsula from Muslims, completed in 1492.

Christopher Columbus

Explorer who sailed for Spain and reached the Americas in 1492.

Mourning Wars

Conflicts among Native American groups to capture prisoners and replace lost kin.

House of Burgesses

Virginia's representative assembly, the first elected legislature in colonial America.

Florida and New Mexico

Early Spanish colonies in North America, key centers of missionary and military activity.

French Colonization

France's settlements in North America, focused on fur trade and alliances with Native peoples.

Indian Slave Trade

Enslavement and trade of Native Americans, especially in the Southeast, in the 17th and 18th centuries.

Metacom

Wampanoag leader (King Philip) who led a major war against New England colonists (1675-1676).

Salem Witch Trials

1692 series of trials and executions in Massachusetts accusing people of witchcraft.

Salutary Neglect

British policy of loosely enforcing colonial laws, allowing colonies self-government and economic freedom.

Seven Years' War

1756-1763 global conflict; in North America known as the French and Indian War, leading to British dominance.

John Locke

Enlightenment philosopher who influenced American ideas of natural rights and government by consent.

Virtual Representation

British argument that Parliament represented all subjects, including colonists without elected representatives.

Townshend Acts 1767

Taxes on imported goods like glass, paper, and tea, leading to boycotts and protests.

Intolerable Acts

1774 British laws punishing Massachusetts after the Tea Party, including closing Boston Harbor.

Saratoga

1777 turning point battle in the American Revolution, convincing France to ally with the U.S.

George Rogers Clarke

Revolutionary War leader who secured the Northwest Territory for the U.S.

Lexington & Concord

First battles of the Revolutionary War (1775), known as 'the shot heard round the world.'

Patriots/Loyalists

Patriots supported independence, Loyalists remained loyal to Britain during the Revolution.